Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC specifications and in-depth review

Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC

Manufacturer: Galax

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC is a graphics card from Galax based on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, built on a 5 nm process with 45,600 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and reaches a boost of 2685 MHz, while incorporating RGB lighting and support for up to four simultaneous displays.

On the memory side, the card carries 16GB of GDDR7 across a 256-bit bus, delivering an effective memory speed of 30,000 MHz and a peak bandwidth of 960 GB/s. It provides 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units, translating to a texture rate of 902.2 GTexels/s and 57.74 TFLOPS of floating-point performance. Display connectivity includes one HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort outputs, with support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, ray tracing, and DLSS. The card measures 348 mm in length and 155 mm in height, with a thermal design power of 360W and a PCIe 5.0 interface.

Pros
  • Supports up to four simultaneous displays, offering flexibility for multi-monitor setups
  • Includes ray tracing and DLSS support, enabling advanced rendering techniques in compatible applications
  • ECC memory support adds a layer of data integrity for compute-oriented workloads
  • The 256-bit memory bus paired with 960 GB/s bandwidth allows large volumes of data to move efficiently between the GPU and VRAM
  • RGB lighting is built in, providing visual customization options
  • Intel Resizable BAR support allows the processor to access the full VRAM pool rather than being restricted to smaller segments
Cons
  • A 360W TDP places significant demands on the system power supply and case airflow
  • The card measures 348 mm in length, which may not fit in smaller or mid-tower chassis without clearance issues
  • No USB-C output is available, limiting compatibility with certain modern monitors and displays that rely on that connection
  • Air-water cooling is not supported, restricting cooling options to the card's built-in solution only
  • With only 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus, memory capacity may be a limiting factor in workloads that demand larger frame buffers
Who is this for?

This card is well-suited for users running demanding rendering and compute workloads that benefit from high floating-point throughput, ECC memory support, and a wide memory bandwidth of 960 GB/s. Content creators, 3D artists, and developers working with ray-traced scenes or AI-accelerated pipelines will find the DLSS support and 57.74 TFLOPS of compute performance genuinely useful. It also fits well in multi-monitor workstation setups, given its ability to drive up to four displays simultaneously through a combination of DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1b outputs.

Who is this NOT for?

Users working within compact or mid-tower builds may find the 348 mm card length a significant obstacle, as it requires a full-size chassis with adequate clearance. The 360W TDP also makes this card a poor fit for systems with modest power supplies or limited case airflow, since it places substantial thermal and electrical demands on the overall build. Additionally, users who rely on USB-C display outputs or require a water-cooling integration will find neither option available on this model, making it less suitable for those specific connectivity or thermal management needs.

Performance:

GPU clock speed 2295 MHz
GPU turbo 2685 MHz
pixel rate 300.7 GPixel/s
floating-point performance 57.74 TFLOPS
texture rate 902.2 GTexels/s
GPU memory speed 1875 MHz
shading units 10752
texture mapping units (TMUs) 336
render output units (ROPs) 112
Has Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP)

The Performance section of the Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC reveals a GPU running at a base clock of 2295 MHz with a turbo frequency of 2685 MHz, backed by 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. These figures translate into a texture rate of 902.2 GTexels/s, a pixel rate of 300.7 GPixel/s, and 57.74 TFLOPS of floating-point performance. The GPU memory operates at 1875 MHz, and the card includes support for Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP), making it capable of handling compute workloads alongside traditional rendering tasks.

Memory:

effective memory speed 30000 MHz
maximum memory bandwidth 960 GB/s
VRAM 16GB
GDDR version GDDR7
memory bus width 256-bit
Supports ECC memory

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC is equipped with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM running at an effective speed of 30,000 MHz across a 256-bit memory bus, yielding a maximum memory bandwidth of 960 GB/s. The card also supports ECC memory, which helps detect and correct memory errors in compute-oriented workloads.

Features:

DirectX version DirectX 12 Ultimate
OpenGL version 4.6
OpenCL version 3
Supports multi-display technology
supports ray tracing
Supports 3D
supports DLSS
has XeSS (XMX)
AMD SAM / Intel Resizable BAR Intel Resizable BAR
has LHR
has RGB lighting
supported displays 4

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 3, covering a broad range of graphics and compute APIs. It includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, along with stereoscopic 3D and multi-display technology for up to four simultaneous outputs. Intel Resizable BAR is supported to allow the CPU broader access to GPU memory, while XeSS (XMX) and LHR are not present on this card. RGB lighting is built in, rounding out the feature set on the visual side.

Ports:

has an HDMI output
HDMI ports 1
HDMI version HDMI 2.1b
DisplayPort outputs 3
USB-C ports 0
DVI outputs 0
mini DisplayPort outputs 0

The card's output configuration consists of three DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI 2.1b port, totaling four available display connections. There are no USB-C, DVI, or mini DisplayPort outputs present on this model.

General info:

GPU architecture Blackwell
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 360W
PCI Express (PCIe) version 5
semiconductor size 5 nm
number of transistors 45600 million
Has air-water cooling
width 348 mm
height 155 mm

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC is built on the Blackwell architecture, manufactured using a 5 nm process and integrating 45,600 million transistors. It connects via a PCIe 5.0 interface and carries a Thermal Design Power of 360W. The card does not feature air-water cooling, relying instead on its own cooling solution, and measures 348 mm in width and 155 mm in height.

Final Verdict

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Star Nox OC is a graphics card built around NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, bringing together a strong compute throughput, ray tracing, DLSS support, and a 960 GB/s memory bandwidth that positions it squarely within demanding rendering and workstation use cases. Its four-display output capability and ECC memory support add practical value for users who require reliability and flexibility in professional or creative environments. That said, its 360W power draw and 348 mm length mean it demands a well-equipped system to function at its best. For users whose builds and workloads align with what this card requires, it delivers a well-rounded and capable specification set that covers both graphical and compute-oriented tasks.